Source: Rowland, Dunbar, ed. Mississippi: Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form. Atlanta: Southern Historical Publishing, 1907. Vol. III, pp. 409-10
Johnston, Robert Crocker, M.D., of Laurel, Jones county, has been actively engaged in the practice of medicine for a period of thirty years and is well known throughout Jones and surrounding counties, while he has been especially successful in the treatment of cancerous growths and similar morbid conditions. He was born in Jasper county, Miss., May 31, 1847, and is a son of James P. and Charity (Duckworth) Johnston, the former of whom was born in Alabama and the latter in Jones county, Miss. The paternal grandfather was a valiant soldier in the Continental line during the War of the Revolution. Dr. Johnston was one of the valorous Southern boys who offered his services in defense of the Confederate cause at the outbreak of the Civil war, as he enlisted in Company B, First Mississippi cavalry, with which he did much scouting through northern Mississippi, taking part in many skirmishes and in the battle of Harrisburg, and encountering many hazards through his labors as a courier scout. He had secured the advantages of a good practical English education, and in formulating his plans for his future career decided to prepare himself for a medical profession. He secured his technical discipline through a careful course of reading under an able preceptor, Dr. B. F. Duke, of Jasper county, and after thus becoming ably fortified for the work of his profession he engaged in practice in Jasper county, where he continued to labor most successfully for a quarter of a century, at the expiration of which, in 1902, he removed to Laurel, Jasper [sic.] county, from which attractive city he has since carried on his professional work, which extends over a wide area of country, while, as previously stated, the doctor devotes special attention to the treatment of cancers, ulcers, chronic sores, etc., in which connection he utilizes his original preparation which he has designated as cancer serum and which is a wonderful specific in the treatment of diseases of the malignant type mentioned, and many are the cases of cancer which he has treated, entirely avoiding the use of the knife and substituting his special serum, with magnificent results. He is an appreciative member of the Mississippi State medical society and also that of Jones county; in politics is a stalwart Democrat, and fraternally is a Master Mason. On Oct. 21, 1869, Dr. Johnston was married to Miss Eliza Shelby, daughter of Alfred and Mary (Flower) Shelby, and they became the parents of eight children. Mrs. Johnston died March 14, 1895. On Dec. 8, 1898, Dr. Johnston consummated a second marraige, being then united to Miss Ester Bush, daughter of Jefferson and Susan (Dies) Bush, of Jasper county. The doctor has had ten children of whom eight are the offspring of his first marriage and nine of whom are living. The names are here entered in the order of birth: James Julius, Candice, Oscar, Lela (deceased), Vern, Maude, Troy, Daisy, Jefferson Perry and Robbie Alva.